A Positively Poetic Priest

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday in Lent BCP 218) "Oh good Lord, have mercy!"  Perhaps from my time living in the south, this prayer-exclamation, said in a thousand of different ways has become part of my normal commentary on life these days. Over and over again, "Oh good Lord, have mercy," seems to fit the bill for how I feel about... well... everything.  The situation in Texas. Oh good Lord, have mercy. The continuation of the pandemic. Oh good Lord, have mercy. The death of a beloved community member. Oh good Lord, have mercy. My husband leaving his trash on the counter. Oh good Lord, have mercy.  There is so much outside of our control these days and ...

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday in Lent BCP 218) Coming into this year's Lent, I think we are all a little bit more aware of our own temptations and weaknesses. We know how much we long, desire, need to have certain small things in our lives that we have been trying to do without for quite a while. I am reminded of a web comic I saw (https://xkcd.com/2419/) which has a graph of hug counts by year. The alt-text reads "I've never been that big of a hug person, but it turns out I'm not quite this small of a hug person either." Meaning, even the author of the comic, a nerdy physicist, has recognized his need for more hugs after this past year...

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Last Sunday after the Epiphany BCP 217) A gorgeous landscape. A fantastically decorated or architecturally designed building. People doing things they love. People reaching out in care for others. Children learning good lessons. These are all things which spark awe in me. Even when they have nothing to do with me, they encourage me in the work which I must do. They strengthen me for the journey ahead.  We pray this week, when we see Jesus transfigured upon the mountain, that we "may be strengthened to bear our cross." We know the weeks to come are not going to be easy. We know they are going to continue ...

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany BCP 216) "Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins..." It would be lovely if the way God set us free from the bondage of our sins was immediate and easy. However, my experience has taught me that God sets us free from the bondage of our sins after we have recognized what they are and have started acknowledging our complicity in them.  One of the biggest sins we have wrestled with in the United States in the last few years is the sin of racism. Despite decades of fighting for justice and equality, black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are still held apart and held back by unjust systems. Despite decades of calling out these systems, white people have continued to uphold ...